Previous efforts have been made to freeze dry meat. Freeze dried meat is a desirable commodity, which like other freeze dried food products could be stored without refrigeration, and which also takes up relatively low space and is of low weight for backpacking, space missions, etc. Another desirable area for freeze dried meat has recently occurred, in that there are many weight loss diets which are near starvation diets, and in which the diet is carried on under medical supervision. For a period of time, perhaps the first three months, the person on such a diet does not actually eat any food, but only consumes a few hundred calories a day of powder mixed in water or diet beverage, which powder is formulated to provide all of the necessary amino acids and other dietary necessities to maintain the human body and provide proper electrolyte balance. Such diets leave the patient with no taste of food for an extended period, and the patient must subsequently be taught to eat again. It would be desirable if a taste of meat or chicken could be provided during the non-eating portion of the diet, and this could be provided with very few calories from a freeze dried meat product, if such were available.
Unfortunately, prior art freeze dried meat processes with which I am familiar result in browning and hardening of the meat, very similar to what takes place when a piece of meat is left unwrapped in the refrigerator for a few days. This is a result of oxidation of the proteins in the meat. Consequently, prior art freeze dried meat products have not been satisfactory.